Feed Nigeria summit 2019 gets August date

Agriculture has been identified as the sector to reverse the growing unemployment in the country.This was disclosed by the Chief Executive Officer, AgroNigeria, Barr. Richard-Mark, in Lagos, at a briefing to announce the Feed Nigeria Summit (FNS) 2019, scheduled for August 27 and 28 in Abuja, where he called for partnership between government and private sector, to move the sector forward.

Themed: “Unlocking Prosperity Through Partnership,” Mbaram said the Summit would focus on the narratives critical for unleashing the job creation potentials of the country’s agricultural sector.

“The state of the agric sector should be a concern for everybody. If you allow the farmers to wallow in poverty, you must know that it is going to affect you. Nigeria will not see economic development if agriculture and agric business does not begin to deliver its great potentials to the polity and economy.

Executive Secretary, Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS), Abuja, Prof Eustace Iyayi said the FNS is Nigeria’s flagship agricultural sector convocation and has, over the years earned its position as a unique platform, which addresses the critical issues concerning the nation’s agro-economy.

Since inception in 2017, the Summit has been consistent in providing platform for tracking and enhancement of the sector. In 2017, the FNS focused centrally on the Home-Grown School Feeding Program (HGSFP). Following resolutions made at the Summit, the HGSFP was helpful in the value chain and expanded to feed some 7.7m children in 24 states.

The 2018 edition, themed: “Consolidating the Growth” was hinged on the need to provide a framework for a flow of support to the private sector in agriculture, to forge ecosystems of resilience around their businesses.

Accordingly, Mbaram said FNS2019 would feature key narratives around the core theme, which basically highlights the need for synergy among actors in the agribusiness ecosystem.

Managing Director of Stallion Group, a major sponsor of FNS 2019, Anant Badjatya said for the country to meet the economic needs of its vast population, a viable and prosperous agricultural sector is imperative. “It is the sector that will provide the lion share of the jobs badly needed to power the economy. The Agribusiness space in Nigeria needs to be populated by stakeholders who are willing to collaborate not only to solve existing problems, but also to take advantage of existing opportunities for increased value provision.”